Roller cleaning and oiling device for driers



Aug- 23, 1932. c. w, LINF'ESTY 1,873,437

ROLLE-R CLEANING AND OILING DEVICE FOR DRIERS Filed April 18, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l vs Qn o a v a o e o n u n u w o o e o o n o i oe o p u u u 9 www e ve o o e u v n o e 0 o u v o v o o u o o a ou v a o e o v v v c no a a a c on #lo o we n o u u o a u u u be s o0 o so aoco o o v vavo 09o ou un o o on a no ou u ce can o0 non n cao vou ovoooe oenonao no l: nouvo naar@ 0 vo aou u e no e annu q n 0 9 Aug. 23, 1932. c. w. LINFESTY V1,873,437

ROLLER CLEANING' AND OILING DEVICE FOR DRIERS V Filed April 18, 1928 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNITED T'ffE PTE @Hennes W. LINFESTY, or' HIGHLAND, CALIFORNIA, `AssIGNoia To screenen, remrnia"iV foo., oF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, A CoRI'oRATIoN or CALIFQBNIA f ROLLER yemananNef AND oILINGDavIon ron D RIERS Application filed April 18,

This invention relates to fruit driers,l and more especially to that type of Vfruit drieradapted -to treat .citrus fruits, in which the fruit vis carried upon a conveyer. These'conveyers are usually made up of a plurality of rollers connected by a flexible coupling s'uch aschains, or` their equivalent. y n

.. It isto be observed that one ofthe difficulties encountered with thetypeof conveyer described,` is that theoils and other substances which issue fromthe fruits as they are'being treated, collect upony the rollers, and necessitate shutting down the machine more or less frequently for the purpose of cleansing therollers.

The general object of the invention is the provision of a mechanical device adapted to facilitate the operation of cleaning and oiling the rollers of the conveyers of the general character described. Y

It is a. further object of this invention to produce a cleansing and oiling device such as referred, to above; which'is simple in its construction and eiiicient inits operation, so

r that the length of time that the drier is shut down for the purpose of cleansing the rollers,

is materially shorter than when the'rollers have to be cleaned manually.

The invention possesses other'objects and features of advantage. someof which. with the foregoing.' will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. vIt is to be understood that l' don'ot limit myself to the showing made by the said drawings and description, asfI may" adopt variations of the preferred form within the scope rof my invention asset forth in the claims. rllhe accompanying drawings illustrate a type of the invention in Ywhich the cleaning brushes may be controlled` at will to bring them 'into operation when desired.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a top plan view of a citrus fruit drier embodyingmy invention applied thereto, partsbeing broken away to better reveal f the'operative parts of my invention.

Fig. 2 isa side elevation ofthe drier of 192s. semaine, 270,999.

operative position.

Broadlyconsidered, thecleaning and oiling device of the present invention comprises oneor more rotary brushes adapted t ofbe v raised or lowered at will to disengage-'or'em gage the rollers of a roller conveyer, as they move past Athe brushes. The brushesare preferably mounted on a swinging frame. Means are provided for rotating 'the :brushes to ef-` fect-ually remove collected particles from the provided for sprayroller; and means arealso ing liquid upon the brushesso as to facilitate the cleansing "operation Another movable vbrush is mounted sov that it can be brought into engagement withthe provided for `keeping this second brush moistened with a cleaning liquid or oil. n

In greaterdetail7 the clea-nsingpand voilingduct oranges 16 orother fruits through theV drier while they are being subjected to heat or otherv desired treatment. One of the principal difficulties encountered in the drying of' citrus fruits, results from the fact that as the fruit is being subjected tolheatfoils issue from the fruit and deposit vupon the rollers, necessitating the frequent shutting down of the entire machine to remove the collected oil which collects in the form of a .gummy substance over the surfacev conveyer,

and in the present instance on the rollers 12; The removal of this gummed oil and particles of broken fruit is a primary object of my invention. i y Y The belt 11 passes over a roller 17 and back through the drier upon another supporting structure or guide 18, and as the belt l1 passes y Y and showing the cleansing and oilingvdevice elevated from "':iov rollers to apply oil thereto; and means 4are' lmade to thenovelty of thearrangement of over the'roller 17, the fruit 16 vdrops into a chute 19 which conducts the fruit around the vertical portion of the belt 11 and deposits it upon the belt upon that portion of the f belt .which is'supported upon the guide structure 18 so that the fruitmay travel back to the front of the drier duringv the' process of being treated.

The formation of theV above mentioned parts Vis merely conventional,. and no claim is these parts. My inventio-nlies in the conf .struction and arrangement of elements that co-operate to make the improved cleaning and oilin'g device adapted to operate upon Y such a conveyer.

V a plurality'of brackets 21', 2,2 and 23, `depending frein the supporting structure 10. The fbrackets 21 and 22 support a swinging Vframe 24 throughthe expedient of. links 2,6, each of The cleaning apparatus maybe mounted inanysuitablewa-y.to enable it to engage the conveyer. u In the present instance it is preferably 'located in vcontact with or near the inner face of the conveyer so that the brushes can engage one side of the conveyer,

l.while the other side oftheconveyer is guided and in contactuwithv the positively past .provide brushes. In the present instance I which is Vpivoted atoneendV tothe frame 24 Yand'a't the other end to one end of a swinging 'arm 27 which is pivotedintermediate its ends to one of the. brackets 21 or 22. A counterweight28 is preferably adjustable upon the other end of each'of the arms27, with the .result that. the framev 2,4 is a. floating frame i 'and-"may, be "lowered or raised optionally,

that is,"at will, andgmay be stably retained ineithera raised orclcwered position.

" Auplurality ofv roller brushes.31, 32and 33 are mounted'for rotation kuponthe frame f 24 they extend transversely to the conveyer andare providery with sprockets 34, 36, and 37 respectively, at one vend,vand the brushes 31 and 32 vwith sprockets 38and 39 at the otherl end. The sprockets 38 and 39'atr one :end ofthe swinging frame are operatively lconnectedby a chain 41,A and the sprockets 36V and 37 by a chain 42, with theresult that all'three brushes are connected for rotation together, preferably in a common direction.

vdrives the gear 46 Vand sprocket 44, which,

through the chain 43 drives the sprocket 34, and with it the rotary brushV 31. However,

' since the lbrushes, 32 and33 are connected to the brushv 31, these brushes also will lbe rotated.

The frame is preferably formed with av hood 51 disposed over the brushes 3 1, 32, and 33, upon the frame 24; and a foraminated pipe 52 is disposed within thevhood. 51 in position to 'spray the brushes `'with liquid. The end of the pipe 52 extends through the side of the hood 51, and has a iexible conduit 53 lconnected thereto to supply the pipe 151 Y with YWater under pressure,or any other desired liquid. Atray 54 having a drain'pipe 56 is disposed'below thelower framework ,18, in position to collect the liquid as it drops from the brushes 31, 32, and 33, through theVV belt11. l

VThe.second,frameworkk61 is also'injthe lforni of a swinging Aframe and may be.v simi-v larly supported rupon the bracketsv 22 Vand 23 y.bym-sans of links 62, each of which ispiv- Oted at one end to the frame 61, andat .they other end to oneV endk of a swinging arm 63.

Each of the swinging arms 63 is pivotedata point intermediateits ends to one ,ofthe `brackets 22 or 23, and has a counterweight 64 adjustable upon Vits other end. f

'The frame 61 carries a ylat brush 66 comi vposed of bristles 67 carried byl a back ,68f which is provided with marginal flanges y69V y extending upward therefrom so that theback 68 is in the form of a tray. A. reservoiry 71 is disposed above the back 68, and a discharge pipe 72 controlled by a valve'73, leads from the reservoir 71 to a point closely above the back 68 of the brush 66.

Means are provided for permitting bil to seep through the'back 68 to the bristles'67.-

This/may bedone either by providing the back 68 with a plurality of perforations, or

Vby permitting the bristles 67l to extend clear through the back 68 so that any oil contained icc within the tray-like back,-may,seep between the bristles to their lower ends.

l/Vhenl not inuse the brush frames are supported by removable pins 23a and, 26a on'the horizontal armsv of'brackets 23 and 26 (see Fig. 3). v l ,n Y

I will now describe the operation of my improved cleansing and oiling apparatus.`

When the rollers 12 have become vso clogged as to require cleansing, the fruit 16 is run completely off the belt 11, and the pins 23a and 26a are then removed. This permits the brush frames to descend by gravity and rest `yieldingly on they conveyer. `The chain 43 is then placed in position upon the sprockets 34 and 44. 'Ihenby rotating the shaft 48, all three of the brushes may befrotated as above' described. Water under pressurev is then supplied to the pipeY 52 so that the brushes are sprayed as theyjrotate.V The belt 11 is then started in motionso that the rollers -12 pass beneath the rotating brushes to be effectually vcleansed thereby. The tray 54 and .waste pipeV 56 serve to-disposeof any liO surplus Water and the foreign substances removed from the rollers. This is continued as long as is necessary to remove all collected oils and particles of foreign matter, after Which the Water is shut ofi' and the chain 43 removed. The frame 24 is then elevated to Withdraw it from the conveyer, and theframe 6l lowered into its operating position, in Which the bristles 67 engage the rollers 12. The bristles 12 are saturated With oil supplied to them from the reservoir 71,`so that as the rollers 12 pass therebeneath, they are oiled and kept in perfect condition.

It is obvious that by adjusting the position of the counter-Weights 28 and 611 the pressure of the brushes against the conveyer can be regulated.

I claim:

1. In a fruit drier including a conveyer comprising a plurality of parallel rollers, a swinging frame movably mounted adjacent said conveyer, a plurality of rotary brushes journalled upon said frame vvith their axes extending substantially parallel With said rollers, means for rotating said brushes, means for supplying liquid to said brushes, and means for moving said frame up or down to bring the brushes into or out of engagement With said rollers, at Will, as they move past the same.

2. In a fruit drier including a conveyer comprising a plurality of rollers, a vertically movable frame mounted adjacent said conveyer, a rotary brush journalled upon said frame, means for rotating said brush, means for supplying liquid to said brush, means operable at Will for moving said frame to bring the brush into or out of engagement With said rollers as they move therepast, and countervveights operatively connected to said frame to retain the brush either in engagingV or disengaging position. n

3. In a fruit drier including a conveyer comprising a plurality of rollers, a rotary brush arranged above said conveyer, means for rotating said brush, a second brush arranged adjacent said conveyer, means operatable at Will for moving each of said brushes into or out of engagement With the rollers as they move past the same, and means for feeding oil to said second mentioned brush.

4l. In a fruit drier including a conveyer comprising a plurality of rollers, a rotary brush arranged above said conveyer, means for rotating said brush, a second brush arranged adjacent said conveyer, means operatable at Will for moving each of said brushes into or out of engagement With the rollers as they move past the same, countervveights operatively connected to each of said brushes to retain them in elevated or lowered position, and means for feeding oil to said second mentioned brush.

5. In a fruit drier including a conveyer comprising a. plurality of rollers, a rotary brush arranged above saidy conveyer, `I,means for'rotatmg saldfbrush, a second brush arranged adjacent said conveyer, meansy operi atable at will moving each of said brushes into` or'outof engagement Vvvith the rollers as ,n

they move past the same, counteriveights operatively connected to each of said'bru'shes to to said pipe, and means for vfeeding oil to said second mentioned brush;

6. In a-fruit drier including `a conveyer comprising a plurality of rollers, a rotary brush arranged above said conveyer, means for rotating said brush, a porous flat-backed brush arranged adjacent said conveyer, marginal ianges extending upwards from'the back of said flat brush, means operatable `at Will'for moving each of said brushes into or out of engagement vvithlthe `rollers as they move -past the same, countervveights opera-` tively connected to each of said brushes to. rc-V tain them in elevated or lowered position, and means for feeding oil to saidsecondmen-A tioned brush. l

7. In a fruit drier including a conveyer comprising a plurality of rollers, aV rotary brush arranged above said conveyer, means for rotating said brush, a second brush mounted adjacent said conveyer, means operi atable at Will for moving each of said brushes j into or out of engagement vvith the rollers as they move past the same, counterweights operatively connected to each of said brushes to retain them in elevated or lowered position, a foraminated pipe arranged adjacent said first mentioned brush to spray liquid thereupon, means for feeding Water under pressuretoA said pipe, a hood arranged over said rotary brush, a draining pan arranged under said rotary brush, and means for feeding oil to said second mentioned brush.

8. In a fruit drier including a conveyer, a porous flat-backed brush arranged adjacent said conveyer, marginal flanges extending up- Wards from the back of said brush, means for 'Y v optionally moving said brush into or out of engagement With said conveyer, and means for feeding oil to the back of said brush.

9. In a fruit drier including a conveyer, a porous flat-backed brush larranged adjacent said conveyer, marginal flanges extending up- Wards from the back of said brush, means for optionally moving said brush into or out of engagement With said conveyer, counter- Weights operatively connected to said brush to4 retain it in. adjusted position, and means for feeding oil to the back of said brush.

10. In a fruit drier having an endless conveyer with a plurality of transverse rollers, the combination of a rotary brush located on the inner side of said conveyer, a second roconveyer; means for supporting said brushes l for rotation en axes extending transversely' to the endless conveyer, means for guiding the oonveyer adjacent the said brushes so as to leringV the rollersinto @ontzet with the brushes asthey pass the same, means for driving the` brushes1 `and means associated Y with lthe A I y i brushes for supplying liquid to the same.

' wIo l1.v In aruit drier' havingran endless conveyer, the combination of a' supporting frame, a swinging frame mounted onthe supporting frame tovsWingVto-Award oi'from the conveyer, a 'pluralityv of rotary brushes i tok n ytestinfiony mounted on the swinging frame, a' shaft mounted on the supporting frame7V a belt. com neetion from the said shaft to drive one-of said brushes Ioeated at one. end of said swingingfframe, and a driving Connection between the (brushes located at the other-end of the swinging frame. l'

name tofthis speci'ieation.v

' 'Y CHARLES LINFESTY..

whereof IA here signed my y 

